1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates primarily to cartons for displaying products sold at retail, such as aerosol cans containing personal care products, and more particularly, to a carton having top and side panel(s) that may be easily removed at a display location so that at least part of the product can be viewed by prospective buyers without the store owner having to remove the product from the carton.
2. Description of the Related Art
After being manufactured, retail products, such as aerosol cans containing shaving cream, hair spray, deodorant and the like, are commonly packaged in a generally rectangular carton for containing, transporting, and preferably, displaying the product at a retail location. Frequently, retailers want to display such products so that at least a part of the appearance of the product can be viewed by prospective buyers. However, retailers do not want the added expense of removing the products from the carton and placing the products on a display shelf. Therefore, carton configurations have been proposed that allow a retailer to remove a portion of a carton and place the remaining carton on a display shelf so that a consumer may view the product and readily remove the product from the carton. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,209,789, 5,957,294 and 5,918,801 which show cartons with removable tear strips, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,155,480, 5,690,230, 3,961,274, and 2,547,892 which show cartons with tear away sections. Some of these cartons are expensive to produce. In particular, cartons having surrounding removable tear strips are quite expensive.
While these and other carton configurations have been proposed for the display and easy removal of a product contained in a carton, there is a continuing need for a carton having a configuration that allows the carton to be loaded with a product at a manufacturing site and transported to a retail location where a retailer may readily detach the top and at least a part of a side of the carton. The retailer may then place the opened carton on a shelf so that a consumer may view at least part of the product and remove the product from the carton for purchase.
The foregoing needs are met by a carton for containing and displaying a product according to the invention which includes a bottom, a first side, a second side, a front having an opening through an interior portion thereof, a top, and a rear. The bottom, the first side, the second side, the front, the top and the rear collectively define an interior space of the carton. The first side, the second side, the front, and the rear are joined at their lower edges to at least a portion of the bottom, and the front and the rear are joined at their upper edges to at least a portion of the top The first side is joined at its upper edge to the top by a first line of perforations, and the second side is joined at its upper edge to the top by a second line of perforations The first side and the second side are joined at their front edges to the front, and the first side and the second side are joined at their rear edges to the rear. The front includes a third line of perforations extending from the opening in the front to the first line of perforations and a fourth line of perforations extending from the opening in the front to the second line of perforations. The third line of perforations, the fourth line of perforations, the upper edge of the front, and an edge of the opening in the front define a perimeter of a front tear away section. The rear includes a fifth line of perforations extending from the first line of perforations to the second line of perforations.
The carton is typically loaded with a product at a manufacturing site and transported to a retail location where a retailer may grasp the front tear away section of the carton by way of the handle opening and pull the front tear away section in a first direction up from the front and in a second direction away from the front so as to remove the front tear away section and the top from the carton. The retailer may then place the opened carton on a shelf so that a consumer may view at least part of the product and remove the product from the carton for purchase.
In another aspect, the invention comprises a one-piece foldable blank for forming the carton.
In yet another aspect, the invention comprises a method for forming a display carton. In the method, a carton including a bottom, a first side, a second side, a front having an opening through an interior portion thereof, a top, and a rear is first provided. The bottom, the first side, the second side, the front, the top and the rear collectively define an interior space of the carton. The first side, the second side, the front, and the rear are joined at their lower edges to at least a portion of the bottom, and the front and the rear are joined at their upper edges to at least a portion of the top. The first side is joined at its upper edge to the top by a first line of perforations, and the second side is joined at its upper edge to the top by a second line of perforations. The first side and the second side are joined at their front edges to the front, and the first side and the second side are joined at their rear edges to the rear. The front includes a third line of perforations extending from the opening in the front to the first line of perforations and a fourth line of perforations extending from the opening in the front to the second line of perforations. The third line of perforations, the fourth line of perforations, the upper edge of the front, and an edge of the opening in the front define a perimeter of a front tear away section. The rear includes a fifth line of perforations extending from the first line of perforations to the second line of perforations. The front tear away section of the carton is grasped by way of the opening, and pulled in a first direction up from the front and in a second direction away from the front so as to remove the front tear away section and the top to form the display carton.
In still another aspect, the invention comprises a display carton formed by the method.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a carton that allows retailers to display a product so that at least a part of the appearance of the product can be viewed by prospective buyers.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide a carton having a configuration that allows the carton to be loaded with a product at a manufacturing site and transported to a retail location where a retailer may readily detach the top and at least a part of a side of the carton.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a carton having a configuration that allows a retailer to readily detach the top and at least a part of a side of the carton to display at least a part of the product on a shelf without the need to remove the product from the carton.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and appended claims.